Festival News - Outerfields2021 Unveils Auckland’s Biggest Music Line-up of the Summer
Presented by: Music Helps | Mushroom Promotions
Outerfields2021 opens its gates for a 12 hour long dose of Aotearoa sounds and good times on Saturday 6 March 2021 at the central city Outer Fields at Western Springs.
The event proudly boasts an incredible live music line-up headlined by BENEE and Fat Freddy’s Drop along with premium food, bars and art. The day promises to cater to music fans of all stripes, mixing many of this country’s most acclaimed musical exports alongside the freshest names on the scene.
Like BENEE and Fat Freddy’s Drop; Aldous Harding, The Beths, Ladyhawke and Montell2099 have all had substantial international plans curtailed in 2020. Church & AP, Paige and Harper Finn have taken the chance to shine in the past few months and will be ready to fly when the borders open again.
The Outer Fields at Western Springs launched as a premier outdoor venue for the last Big Day Out and Auckland City Limits. Few who were there will forget sets by Snoop Dogg, Major Lazer and of course Grace Jones. The wide open green fields and treelined slopes have also hosted Mumford & Sons, Billy Idol and more in recent times.
Outerfields2021 runs for a full day, with more than 12 hours of music from gates at 10.30am till 11pm. The event is GA, all ages, and fully licensed with abundant food trucks and Auckland cuisine on offer amongst local artist installations, complementing the local sounds in the suburb.
Outerfields2021 is proud to support the work of MusicHelps, our partner charity. MusicHelps financially supports entities that use the power of music to change the lives of New Zealanders in need, and provides emergency assistance to kiwi music people experiencing extreme hardship and illness. Through its MusicHelpsLive campaign, MusicHelps has helped and continues to help people and businesses in the New Zealand live music community whose livelihoods have been shattered by the Covid-19 pandemic crisis.
PS: Due to Covid-19 protocols, Outerfields2021 has a firm postponement date of 4 December 2021 in the unhappy event that you idiots don’t use the Covid tracer app every time you step out the door and keep your masks on when you’re asked to.
THE LINE-UP:

BENEE grew up a stone’s throw from Western Springs in Grey Lynn. Her meteoric rise over the past two years has seen her pick up platinum records in the US and beyond for mega-hit Supalonely and a pile of Aotearoa Music Awards. Two Spark Arena shows last month in a sold-out national tour proved that local audiences are flocking to hear what the world is going crazy about and loving it. BENEE shows deliver an inspirational sense of fun, mixing her quirky lyrics with a energetic, groove-drenched sound.

FAT FREDDY’S DROP needs little introduction. Founded in the Wellington club scene in 1999, Aotearoa’s seven headed soul monster have forged an international reputation as one of the globe’s finest musical acts. Drawing inspiration from almost every part of the black music lexicon, their unmissable live shows continue to be the stuff of legend, a potent mix of soul, jazz, and dub elements underpinned by horn and rhythm section as comfortable laying down a throbbing techy landscape as they are a swampy blues stomp.

MONTELL2099 is a 23 year-old electronic music genius with notable fans and collaborators all over the world including his label boss, trap producer RL Grime, hip hop star 21 Savage, and official remixes for Lorde, Post Malone, CharliXCX and Diplo under his belt. Montell2099 has grown from humble beginnings making Soundcloud productions to a place on the biggest stages with mindblowing headline slots as a festival mainstay in New Zealand and travelling far and wide all over the world

THE BETHS are Auckland’s indie pop heroes of the moment and their two albums have won accolades from Rolling Stone, Pitchfork and many more international publications to go along with Aotearoa Music Awards collected for Best Group and Best Alternative Artist. Their blend of propulsive singalong choruses, four part vocal arrangements and wry, introspective lyrics has won them fans all around the world and support slots for the Breeders, Pixies, Weezer and Death Cab For Cutie.

ALDOUS HARDING’s sound has evolved from the starkly gothic indie folk of her 2015 debut to one of the most unique artistic voices on the international stage. Signed to the influential UK label 4AD and working with UK producer John Parish (PJ Harvey) she has continued to create beautiful music often accompanied by eye-popping video clips. An artist of rare calibre, Aldous Harding does more than sing, she conjures a singular intensity. Her body and face a weapon of theatre, Harding dances with steeled fervor, baring her teeth like a Bunraku puppet's gnashing grin.

LADYHAWKE began her musical journey in Wellington bands before moving to Australia and exploding onto the international stage with her solo debut album featuring the massive hit My Delirium. Two more albums have followed as she has based herself between home and LA, continuing to mine the energetic 1980s influenced new wave pop sound that has made her a live favourite around the world for a decade now.

CHURCH & AP arrived in 2018 with single Ready or Not hitting the airwaves all over and announcing the Auckland teens as a fiery new entrant in the local hip-hop scene. The duo, who met at high school, have continued to unleash a string of tightly coiled bangers marking them out as real contenders and received attention as far away as the UK where Line of Best Fit raved “A rich cocktail that merges strong undertones of hip hop heavyweights with their youthful charm, topped with their ‘give me everything you’ve got’ attitude”.

PAIGE has taken initial love shown for her heartfelt soul-pop from global superstars Lizzo and Billie Eilish, who both discovered and called out her songs on the over-connected world of the internet, and now sits alongside those heroes on the radio waves with her single Waves. This kind of trajectory out of the bedroom was inevitable for the hugely talented Clarks Beach kid with the most authentic chops in town. She has appeared on stage alongside Ruel, George Ezra, SIX60 and Drax Project and nothing it seems will stop this 22 year-old, just like a bee, fluttering between catacombed thoughts of the heart as her songs invite us into her cozy space

HARPER FINN has grown up around live music – not just seeing his father Tim but working nights at Auckland venues and watching closely to see the combustible collision of music and youth culture on stage night after night. Soaking up influences from all over, his thoughtful tracks combine observations on modern love, youth, and young adulthood. A steady diet of releases over the past year has seen his sound evolve from late night electronic pop to the latest, his breakout hit Dance Away These Days, a post-lockdown banger inspired, he says, by a quote from Samuel Beckett: “Dance first. Think later. It’s the natural order.”
OUTERFIELDS 2021 TICKET SALES
Saturday 6th March 2021
Early Bird ticket price of just $99.00
Early Bird tickets on sale 12.00pm NZDT Monday 16th November 2020 from ticketmaster.co.nz
Vodafone presale from 12.00pm NZDT Monday 9th November til 12.00pm NZDT Wednesday 11th November
vodafone.co.nz/music


Today, 20-year-old breakout vocal powerhouse Jessie Murph reveals the dates for her upcoming WORLDWIDE HYSTERIA tour in support of her new album out later this year.
This June, Black Grace returns with the third edition of Company B – a powerful new production entitled Rage Rage.
Live Nation is proud to present one of Aotearoa’s most treasured musical voices, Sir Dave Dobbyn, live in concert at Auckland Town Hall for the very first time on Wednesday June 4 as part of the Auckland Winter Series.
You knew the news was coming, but now it’s time to get your marker pens out for the calendar … The Others Way is back, baby!
In 2026, prepare to Go to Hell with Australia's first ever dedicated metal cruise Hellbound.
Breakout vocalist and songwriter Lauren Spencer Smith will set out on The Art of Being a Mess headline tour this September.
Imperial Triumphant announce exclusive headline show on Friday 13 June, Mothership, Auckland/Tāmaki Makaurau.
This September history will be made with the return of Swedish metallers Sabaton to Australian shores, joined in Australia by special guests and fellow compatriots Amaranthe.
The legendary Canadian alternative country/blues/folk rock band, Cowboy Junkies, will return to New Zealand later this year for a four-date tour, celebrating their 40th anniversary.
From the teams behind SYNTHONY and COME TOGETHER – Brace yourself for the ultimate collision of metal and classical.
ZZ Top has advised today that drummer Frank Beard, as recommended by medical personnel, will not be present for the Australia and New Zealand leg of The Elevation Tour with George Thorogood & The Destroyers, commencing this Saturday with Red Hot Summer Bendigo.
Auckland indie-rock legends Voom — after years of slow-burning genius, cult-adored releases, and sporadic-yet-memorable live performances — are finally back with their new album and NZ Tour!
American punk rock band Dead Kennedys return to Australia and New Zealand this September for their first tour in seven years, bringing their politically charged anthems and raw energy back to the stage.
Make no mistake: Billy Strings is Big. Selling out multiple arenas across the USA, the virtuoso Strings hits Australia and New Zealand for the very first time this July.
The incomparable Grammy Award winner, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, and global pop culture icon Chaka Khan returns to New Zealand and Australia this month and today announces several special guest DJs joining the tour.
Celebrated homegrown artist TEEKS is the third act to be announced as part of the Auckland Winter Series line up. TEEKS will perform a very special show with a string sextet and piano for one night only at the Auckland Town Hall on Thursday June 5.
Fly My Pretties are excited to announce the return to Auckland and Christchurch for a series of special shows celebrating the release of their seventh album, ELEMENTAL.
Rising Aotearoa star Casual Healing has today announced a tour across New Zealand, heading to Auckland and Wellington this May.
New Zealand’s most legendary rock event just got even bigger. On September 26, 2025, Blindspott will headline The Rock 2000 at Spark Arena in a one-of-a-kind performance.
Rhythm and Vines is bringing a taste of their popular GARDEN STAGE to The Tuning Fork, Auckland on Friday, April 11 2025. The stellar lineup includes some of Aotearoa’s top tier up-and-coming musicians, all of which have graced the infamous Rhythm and Vines Stage in 2024.
Due to popular demand a new show at SkyCity Theatre Auckland has today been announced for Ben Elton, the undisputed godfather of modern stand-up’s brand-new live show – Authentic Stupidity.
Dope Lemon returns in 2025 with fifth studio album Golden Wolf, and a massive Australia and New Zealand tour.
Renowned stand-up comedian, podcaster, actor, and psychedelic philosopher Duncan Trussell has just announced his highly anticipated return to Australia and New Zealand this August!
Jay Park, the internationally acclaimed rapper, singer-songwriter, performer, and entrepreneur, is set to make his highly anticipated return to the stage with the 2025 Jay Park World Tour [Serenades & Body Rolls], presented by Live Nation and MORE VISION. This marks his first world tour in six years, promising fans an unforgettable experience.
Mall Grab is back, making his long-awaited return to New Zealand this June bringing his Looking For Trouble label and party here for his largest headline shows to date.
Frontier Touring is excited to welcome US singer-songwriter, Josiah and the Bonnevilles as he embarks on his debut tour across Australia and New Zealand this August.
Last Friday night in London, Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter played a secret gig at the 100 Club.
Duco Touring has today announced that Mānuka Phuel SYNTHONY Festival, has sold out!
Canadian punk-rock outfit PUP are returning down under for the first time since 2022.
VENUE CHANGE - AUCKLAND SHOW!
TEG Dainty and The Entertainment Lab is thrilled to announce An Evening with Bob
Geldof: Songs and Stories from an Extraordinary Life, on the 40th anniversary of the legendary Live Aid concert.